Dissolvable films (referred to as edible film) are widely used in confectionary and breath freshening products, and are becoming more commonly used in pharmaceutical and nutritional products. In most cases, pre-cut edible films are packaged in a bulk arrangement by stacking the pre-cut pieces one on top of the other. The bulk package is easy to use and the edible film is readily accessible by the user.
Many edible films, however, are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. Higher temperatures can cause stacked films to fuse together. Elevated humidity can also cause the films to fuse or stick together. When the film becomes sticky, there is an increased likelihood that the user may accidentally remove more than one piece of film from the film stack. While potential overdosing is normally not severe for confectionary and/or breath mint products, overdosing is dangerous for pharmaceutical and nutritional products.
Another concern with stacking edible films is the possible migration of ingredients from one film to the other in the stack. One solution is to individually package pre-cut edible film in, for example, foil packets. Such individual packaging can be expensive, however, and is not as convenient for the user as a bulk arrangement of pre-cut film.
For nutritional and pharmaceutical edible film products, a bulk package is needed that provides single film dispensing and presentation to the user. It would also be desirable to have a bulk package that also prevents the edible films from fusing together and prevents migration of ingredients from adjacent film pieces.